[bahng-gluh-desh, bang-] 
| republic in S Asia, N of the Bay of Bengal: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations; a former province of Pakistan. 125,340,261; 54,501 sq. mi. (141,158 sq. km). Capital: Dhaka. |
Republic in southern Asia, bordered by India to the north, west, and east; the Bay of Bengal to the south; and Burma to the southeast. Its capital and largest city is Dacca.
Note: Created as East Pakistan in 1947, when India gained its independence from Britain and Muslim leaders demanded a Muslim state. Separated by cultural differences and one thousand miles of Indian territory from a neglectful central government in West Pakistan (now Pakistan), Bangladesh achieved its independence in 1971 after a bloody revolt and Indian intervention. It has been struck frequently by devastating typhoons.
gləˈdɛʃ